Following the move from Montreal to Detroit, Moon King's Daniel Benjamin seems to have kept busy with his latest album, Voice of Lovers, a lo-fi disco record sprinkled with elements of synth pop and dance. Released via Arbutus Records, Voice of Lovers blends traits from both the Montreal and Detroit music scenes into an arrangement of indie pop.
Throughout the album, each track flows easily from one to the next, creating a dance-floor-esque transition between songs. While this is an interesting method of making an album sound more cohesive, it inevitably falls victim to repetition and stagnancy. The opening track "Around the World," however energetic and poppy, quickly loses momentum as it transitions into "Creep (dance 4 u)"; this is a common theme, as songs will quickly lose momentum with sudden shifts in mood and vibrancy, while still maintaining the same tempo and song structure.
Although the dance floor influence is evident, it has nevertheless been executed lazily. While songs such as "Come Away With Me" and "Separation Anxiety" feature some catchy choruses and dynamic melodies, a solid portion of the album seems to have been haphazardly thrown together; vocals are strained and rather absent from the mixes, while the instrumentation is not groovy enough to stand on its own without a leading force guiding it forward.
Overall, Voice of Lovers lacks the dynamics to allow for the elements disco and dance to truly shine. Perhaps with some variety and careful finetuning, Moon King's sound can develop into something bolder and more vibrant.
(Arbutus Records)Throughout the album, each track flows easily from one to the next, creating a dance-floor-esque transition between songs. While this is an interesting method of making an album sound more cohesive, it inevitably falls victim to repetition and stagnancy. The opening track "Around the World," however energetic and poppy, quickly loses momentum as it transitions into "Creep (dance 4 u)"; this is a common theme, as songs will quickly lose momentum with sudden shifts in mood and vibrancy, while still maintaining the same tempo and song structure.
Although the dance floor influence is evident, it has nevertheless been executed lazily. While songs such as "Come Away With Me" and "Separation Anxiety" feature some catchy choruses and dynamic melodies, a solid portion of the album seems to have been haphazardly thrown together; vocals are strained and rather absent from the mixes, while the instrumentation is not groovy enough to stand on its own without a leading force guiding it forward.
Overall, Voice of Lovers lacks the dynamics to allow for the elements disco and dance to truly shine. Perhaps with some variety and careful finetuning, Moon King's sound can develop into something bolder and more vibrant.